Fay Vincent, the former MLB commissioner who banned Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for life in 1990 before his reinstatement three years later and was involved in banning Pete Rose for life for betting on baseball, died Saturday.
He was 86.
Vincent died in a hospital in Vero Beach, Fla., after complications from bladder cancer, his wife, Christina, told The New York Times.
He took over as commissioner in 1989 after the death of A. Bartlett Giamatti and was leading MLB when an earthquake rattled the Bay Area shortly before the scheduled start of Game 3 of the ’89 Athletics-Giants World Series in San Francisco.
“Fay Vincent played a vital role in ensuring that the 1989 Bay Area World Series resumed responsibly following the earthquake prior to Game Three, and he oversaw the process that resulted in the 1993 National League expansion to Denver and Miami,” current commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our National Pastime throughout his life. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fay’s family and friends.”
The ’89 World Series resumed on Oct. 27, 10 days after the earthquake.
Vincent, who resigned in 1992, banned Steinbrenner for paying gambler Howie Spira $40,000 for dirt on Dave Winfield.
